Lloyd Polkinghorne, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Kirstin Nicholson. It was a crazy few hours on Wednesday, May 26, when the Cohuna Kangas announced on its Facebook page that a person who attended their footy and netball matches on Saturday, May 22 had since tested positive for COVID-19. ... The town was sent into a flurry. Apart from the Kangas’ Facebook post, there was no official community-wide notification, and no official government announcement, leaving many wondering what was happening. The old bush telegraph was working at full capacity and social media was running wild.

CMEFG. Over the last two weeks Central Murray Environmental Floodplains Group has engaged on-ground managers of federal and state government departments responsible for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, federal and state environmental water and its delivery, and the North Central Catchment Management Authority ... Passionate community angst was voiced continually throughout the day about present management of the forest contra to what has been publicly written and posted by government departmental staff.

The final Get Set in the Basin celebrations were held over the weekend. The concerts, funded through Lloyd’s Walk for Water, the Australian Horizon Foundation and BEEFitUP Australia, had toured four rural communities for a night of music and comedy. Headlining the shows were Aria Award winning lead singer of TAXIRIDE, Jason Singh, along with musician, Huc Richards and comedian, Flemmo.

An independent inquiry has stated that Field and Game Australia should rightly be concerned that serious efforts by Victoria’s Game Management Authority (GMA) are underway to restrict duck hunting in the state, regardless of scientific evidence. The veiled threat about whether duck hunting may no longer continue in Victoria should be taken seriously.

Ever had a dream to paddle the Murray? Amy Teitzel did. Now utilising her long service leave, she is paddling her 13-foot canoe the length of the mighty river. Amy started in Walwa, 150km upstream of Hume Dam on April 9.

Visitors and locals were thrilled with the offerings at the Border Flywheelers Club and Heritage Museum 24th Vintage Engine and Machinery Rally. “You could spend weeks in there,” was a repeated comment from visitors. The shear volume and variety of local history that has been amassed is a credit to everyone involved.

A recent Koondrook Development Committee meeting included discussions surrounding the Victorian Government decision to close down native timber harvesting in the remaining red gum state forest within the Gannawarra Shire. The forests includes Gunbower, Guttrum and Benwell State Forests. The importance of the red gum industry to the Koondrook community and the Gannawarra Shire was acknowledged by the attendants at the meeting.

Sophie Baldwin, SRI. The recent disallowance of Water Minister, Melinda Pavey’s floodplain harvesting regulations has been welcomed by Southern Riverina Irrigators and Southern Connected Basin Communities. While we support licensing and metering of a process that has been allowed to grow unchecked for 27 years, the regulations in their current form did little to protect southern basin communities – communities already hit hard by the implementation of the Basin Plan and poor water policy.